So much happened in The Winter of the Witch I’m still struggling to get my brain around it. It was everything I wanted it to be, rounding out the trilogy beautifully. There is so much pain and sadness and fear, followed by strength and courage and hope. Vasya truly comes into herself and, though she has never apologised for who she is, now she comes forward and forces those around her to accept her and the help she can provide.

I absolutely love this series. Every book was so different, so unique, but fit together perfectly to tell Vasya’s story. They each represent a stage in her life; The Bear and the Nightingale starts from her conception, through her childhood in Lesnaya Zemlya, her discovery of her differences, and the start of her acceptance, however unwilling. In The Girl in the Tower, she is looking for a way to be accepted, despite her differences. She is searching for a way to be herself and still part of society, without being forced into marriage or a convent. Finally, in The Winter of the Witch, when she feels that she has been betrayed by her family, her beliefs, even her country, she is able to be reborn into herself. Fighting just to stay alive, she discovers her truth, her ancestry, and her purpose.

Katherine Arden is incredible. She has somehow managed to write a fantasy series encompassing every genre, but including only the best part of each;